Winston Smith lives in a world ruled by fear. Everyone fears their children who are trained
as spies for the government. They fear the thought police. They fear emotion
and even speaking. They fear being killed. Most of all, they fear The Party.
In the city of
London, country of Oceania, the year is 1984 – or so Winston thinks, he can’t
quite remember the date. He does know that The Party rules Oceania, and he is
an outer member working for the Ministry of Truth. His job is to keep
information ‘up to date’. Sometimes this means manipulating the records of the
amount of supplies distributed to make The Party seem generous. Other times, if
people were vaporized, it’s Winston’s job to make them unpersons. He deletes
them out of all records as if they never existed. Winston also alters the facts
of history. So much history has been rewritten; no one knows what life was like
before The Party existed.
Winston loathes The Party, but just like everyone else fears
it. He never shows any emotion and never speaks unless he must. Anything could
be seen as rebellion and anyone can report to the ever present thought police.
But one day Winston buys a journal on the black market and begins writing. It’s
against The Party, but he knows his punishment would be minimal. Stories and
emotions slowly begin to fill the pages. At first he is so nervous he almost
can’t write, but as he continues rebellion is sweet. His hatred of The Party
gradually conquers his fear and his anti-Party actions increase in number and
severity.
I have never read anything quite like Orwell’s 1984. As a lover of young adult
literature, dystopian novels have a special place in my heart, but this novel
is nothing like the ones I have ever read. The society Orwell created is so
fear based that no one ever talks; there is rarely dialogue. Yet, from the
outsider’s view of Winston’s thoughts, a clear picture of the setting, society
and time is painted. Written in 1949,
this novel predicted the future as Orwell saw it. 1984 gives
readers the unique ability to compare a past prediction to what actually
occurred. I found it extremely intriguing and highly recommend it!
Clare gives 1984 5 out of 5 carrots!
